The History of Tetris World Records

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Music Credits:
List of all music in this video:
docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
Chris Doerksen (chrisdoerksen.bandcamp.com/)
Eagle Eyed Tiger ( / eagle-eyed-tiger )
HOME ( / home-2001 )
Jake Chudnow ( / @jakechudnow )
Omicron ( / omicr0n )
Overcrest ( / overcrest )
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Rosentwig (rosentwig.bandcamp.com/)
Seimuc (seimuc.bandcamp.com/)
TheOfficialLobst ( / theofficiallobst )
Video Credits:
docs.google.com/document/d/1I...

[@SummoningSalt]

Your browser is holding you back. Level up with Opera GX: operagx.gg/SummoningSalt2 Watch the chase for the rebirth live! Alex T: www.twitch.tv/tetrisalext bluescuti: www.twitch.tv/bluescuti PixelAndy: www.twitch.tv/p1xelandy And thanks to the following people for help with research! Check out their channels: Kitaru: www.youtube.com/@KitaruTC NerdTheBox: www.youtube.com/@NerdTheBox aGameScout: www.youtube.com/@aGameScout fractal161: www.youtube.com/@fractal161 EricICX: kzbin.info

[@BurntWaffles27]

Do you like waffles

[@llma]

already have it 🫡

[@Stoopiepoopie12]

I love waffles

[@Flidays]

Yeah we like waffles

[@M0d_O]

No, my browser is not holding me back

[@mcdonalds5972]

Blue Scuti had lost his father to a heart attack just a week before he defeated Tetris. He dedicated the achievement to him. What an absolute legend.

[@mydogisgreedy]

shame that there was some heartless person on the news to bring him down…

[@SinisterSama]

@@mydogisgreedy I will never forgive the fucker who just, downplayed Blue Scuti from something that damn near united the world... The upmost respect to the first Crashbringer, Blue Scuti.

[@toumabyakuya]

@@mydogisgreedy True, however, all this did was showcase the unity and bond in the Tetris community, what with how he was defended by everybody!.

[@BigRenz.]

@@mydogisgreedycry some more

[@jsbmx2039]

That sucks

[@CVizzle]

"In level 187 after 4 rebirths, It was discovered that Tetris spontaneously turns into the Soda Popinski fight from Mike Tyson's Punch Out. Naturally, the first person to clear this hurdle was none other than Matt Turk himself."

[@netaparash7504]

That's hilarious

[@TheRobD4200]

Best SummoningSalt comment I've ever seen 🤣🤣🤣

[@inyomfwallz]

this shit had me rolling

[@probium2832]

Nowadays it's very quick for a world record video to be outdated. Alex got 13 million I watched live. Dog got 14 million and the longest level. Tristop crashed.

[@AlmostNamedOne]

"Since he had finger speed Mike Tyson had never seen before, he easily got 37.2 million score.'

[@crazygoatemonky]

Fractal deserves even more credit than he gets. Interrupting your WR attempts to celebrate your rival beating you takes a level of humility I and most people just don't have

[@ZZubZZero]

That's very true, was really cool of him

[@VortexKiller2]

Not humility, honour.

[@Argusdubbs]

Coolest part of this already really cool video was seeing Fractal get the recognition he deserved. To be so close the night before and then to lose it like that must've been maddening but he was so classy, cheering on the win...glad SS could give him the love here at least!

[@CrazyOsi]

i would've tried to DDOS blue scuti

[@Jackilichous]

@@CrazyOsi that makes you a loser

[@wpk914]

Absolutely incredible video. My favorite part is when the demographic of top players switched in 2019 from guys in their 40s to young teenagers without any explanation.

[@nicolasturetta7959]

Kids got in touch with tetris during covid, they found the old TV and NES of their parents, that and twitch streams. During and right after covid the tetris scene exploded in popularity

[@deletedTestimony]

Old men can't roll

[@matheuscabral9618]

@@nicolasturetta7959 I doubt most of them had an NES laying around, but it’s quite cheap to buy one

[@humbleguy1533]

It was rolling and the reflexes you need for level 29.

[@gabrieldinix]

It was when rolling got introduced

[@Obscuros88]

you know its epic when the game gets maxed out by a legendary player and you are only 11 minutes into a 2 hour video.

[@YTLovesMeMO]

Ngl I had no idea this video was that long, the fact that I watched all of that omg 😂

[@kochen821]

I keep thinking this must be the end when new record is being made, once again, then I look at the seek bar, and the video is only halfway through 😭

[@Xnoob545]

​@@kochen821 me, who's heard a bit about Tetris, watching the slow climb from 1.1 to 1.4 million, knowing that at some point the game will be absolutely destroyed with a 16 million run, but not knowing when That was interesting Still fun to watch even I know about the final run The suspense makes it even better

[@OhZeddicus]

I just found out about hypertapping like…a week ago. So imagine my surprise when I get to chapter 4 at 27 minutes in. 🎉

[@TheNeraum]

"Maxed out" is a lie. You've watched summoning salt before, every video has someone saying "that's unbeatable" for it to almost immediately be broken xD

[@fumoffu_l]

I still absolutely love Fractal's sportsmanship. He's watching someone else make history the way he wanted to, and is smiling and cheering the whole time. He truly cares more about the game being pushed to its limits more than he cares about being the one to do it.

[@MontegomeryLoL]

Like he said: "Kill it!" What a legend.

[@cameronmele2989]

Same with huff and Eric! The Tetris community always seems so inviting and kind

[@DodgySmalls]

Definitely my favourite moment in gaming history after seeing this (previously would've been OG's second TI win in DotA2). There's a lot of sportsmanship in speedrunning and highscore communities, but seeing someone have their accomplishment snatched from them, and still cheer for them live is so amazingly wholesome.

[@riseandshine5706]

it was so bitter sweet !

[@bbarrett726]

You could sense the disappointment, but I'm glad that he achieved the crash for himself. Probably felt like closure. Though to be honest, I don't think he would have gotten nearly the amount of mainstream media coverage if he was first. Primarily because of his age.

[@BluJellu]

5/18/2024 UPDATE: Dogplayingtetris made it to level 235 and got 14,873,620 points

[@probium2832]

bluescuti 18 million

[@bloxninjagaming6577]

@@probium2832 that run is a different category, 29 start, like Alex t's 21 million run from level 153

[@gachareacter4170]

I should not have looked in comments while mid-video because WHAT THE FUCK, IT CAN GO THAT HIGH???

[@nishanth618]

its not even record, so the video is still accurate. still an amazing achievement tho

[@jamiedanley7525]

Uh oh uh oh uh oh

[@nannou8739]

I remember seeing the headlines when Blue Scuti "beat Tetris" and thought "oh it's just the kill screen" and moved on with no idea what that meant in Tetris. Making this 2 hour long video must be gruelling, but really goes to show the insane accomplishment he made, along with all the others before and after him that won't get a hundredth of the attention. Another incredible SummingSalt video.

[@Begeru]

Yea but Alex T did even better

[@bessie8612]

After Jonas Neubauer’s death in 2021, the Tetris World Championship trophy was renamed and redesigned in his honor. The quote from Jonas on it reads: “If you’re a high visibility player, it’s on you to move the community in a positive direction” RIP Jonas

[@mrsteamie4196]

What an absolute king. That is a killer quote.

[@cubiss1273]

What a great quote for a trophy. It's a beautiful message for the one holding it

[@longleaf0]

@@mrsteamie4196 He was such a legendary player, a kind hearted, generous and fun person, honestly the only person I've never met irl that I felt genuine grief for when he passed. The first time I joined one of his streams he was immediately friendly and welcoming, and you'll find many stories of what a lovely guy he was all over the internet.

[@NilbogDeadite]

I started scrolling through the comments as soon as I hit play and my jaw dropped when I read this. I love Ecstasy of Order and I had no idea he had passed. R.I.P.

[@PKmuffdiver]

Bloody amazing.

[@bluescuti1771]

Thanks so much for making this video. I have been watching your videos even before I started playing Tetris, and being in one of your videos is really cool to me and I've always wanted to be in one.

[@xyrd3441]

Cheering for you in every tournament. Keep it up!

[@ScorpioIsland]

Dude!!! Rock on and good luck!

[@SuspiciousTemmie]

Huge congrats on making it into a Summoning Salt video, it was completely deserved!

[@nathanastle9322]

Seriously the biggest congrats. Gaming community loves you dude.

[@yaoischolar]

i hope you never stop trying to achieve the impossible. huge congrats to you!!

[@billyrobison1150]

"This, is how far Eric ended up making it" was actually sick

[@Oli.V]

The amount of “OH SHIT” ‘s that left my mouth while it was scrolling over was enough to make my roommate come in an check on me, so yes I’d agree

[@soggy_toastedbread]

I read this comment the moment he said it. Literal chills watching that

[@robertoazuaje9279]

My jaw dropped when I saw that

[@digineet8421]

@@robertoazuaje9279first my jaw dropped, then it dropped further, then I said holy shit and started laughing, then I put my hand over my mouth and started tearing up. Seeing a person achieve something that groundbreaking is like witnessing the indomitable spirit of humanity. It’s hard to put into words.

[@zephyrvezir5444]

Summoning Salt videos be like: "He did something, nobody could have imagined as possible" -> still 1,5h left in the video

[@JesseGerth]

Beginning of the video: “and he miraculously made it to level 31!” 1 hour later: “and he only made it to level 138..” Another 30 minutes later: “235, but there’s 810 lines💀”

[@juandgm6171]

This is the best summoning salt video

[@jerryAAAAAAA]

@@juandgm6171 maybe but the abney one was really good to

[@robertdascoli949]

"and they're all dark green"

[@Zarvanis]

It's like anime powerscaling. Just being able to fly was an insane feat in early Dragon Ball, but the final villain of DBZ was effortlessly destroying planets and invading the afterlife. Though comparing Dragon Ball scaling to anime as a whole is extremely unfair - Aside from Gurren Lagann, which had galaxies being thrown like frisbees in its final episode.

[@MashuSlyferiux]

@@Zarvanis Dw there are many anime where powerscaling goes completely fucked up, it's just that Dragon Ball starts at a cracked base (in like episode 13 or something Muten explodes the Moon)

[@theleftuprightatsoldierfield]

Here are some things that Salt didn’t mention in the video: A right well is almost universally preferred by players because long bars spin with a bias towards the right. When you rotate a long bar at the top of the screen, it moves into column 6 instead of column 5. This means you only need to move it 4 columns to get it to the right edge of the board while you need to move it 5 columns to get it to the left edge. That extra column is crippling on higher speeds. Every top level player plays on a CRT TV screen. Modern TVs have too much latency, which makes gameplay significantly harder, especially now that piece movement is so fast and precise. However, the lower latency comes at the cost of visibility. CRTs do not display dark colors very well, which is why dusk, charcoal, and greeeeeeeeen are all so hard to see. The 810 line level is not always level 235. It changes depending on what level you start at. This is due to a glitch that has been known about for about as long as the game has been out. The number of lines before transition is supposed to increase by 10 per starting level. However, due to a bug, levels 9-15 all only take 100 lines to transition. This means that if you start on one of these levels, you will have cleared a different amount of lines by the time the game starts to break, which then changes the 810 line level. This might be the key to getting rebirth as the other color schemes are much easier to see. Part of the reason that Tetris Gym was so widely used and accepted is that the only modifications it made were to the score and level counter. Since the game crash wasn’t understood until very recently, no one knew that this mod had unintentionally patched it. Other than this unintentional patch, gameplay was identical to the original cartridge

[@Astertane]

That's all super interesting, thanks for sharing! Getting to peek behind the curtain into what makes Tetris runs tick (beyond the sheer skill needed to control the pieces and the hours invested by each player to ingrain it into instinct) really adds to the journey everyone must have gone through, especially when looking at something like this as an outsider :)

[@KernelLeak]

Funny enough Retro Game Mechanics Explained and Displaced Gamers each released a video explaining the crash and looking at the game's code in detail less then 24 hours apart on the 6th/7th of March... :D

[@Ashbakhaaz]

I'm a bit sad that the community chose to play without crash dodging... it would have made for such amazing stories

[@skysheep747]

I thought Alex played on the original NeS and avoided the crash bugs because his score was so low. In another video he could be seen wondering why there was no crash.

[@natnew32]

@@skysheep747 He didn't know Tetris Gym patched crashes at the time. He was fully expecting a game crash... and then it didn't happen. So he kept going. A related glitch changes level palettes, so the 810-line level was supposed to be *charcoal*. But he had done that multiple times already, it was doable. But with that glitch patched, it wasn't charcoal- it was Greeeeeeeeen, as mentioned in the video. Which he had trouble with earlier. He had no idea the 810-level would be Greeeeeeen until he hit it... which is why he reacted like that.

[@gooblop]

For many world records, what determines the jumps in record times tends to be players finding a trick or glitch or exploit and then integrating that in their runs to play less of the intended game. For Tetris it's the opposite, the game has things trying to stop you both intentionally and as glitches, and the world record's history is about people overcoming those barriers through sheer skill to play even more than was ever intended. That is what makes this story truly amazing, and I'm glad this video covers it so well.

[@SwagsDen]

"Blue Scuti had adrenaline coursing through him" Blue Scuti: 😑

[@potroast702]

RIP Jonas Neubauer. He was an amazing face for the competitive Tetris scene and was the person who got a lot of us into the Tetris community

[@quantumm313]

I miss jonas. There was a period where i was in him and heather's stream every night for a couple years. Best vibes stream that ever existed

[@wildcatlh]

Jonas deserves more credit than anyone or anything for the current popularity of NES Tetris. Still sad about his passing.

[@jakel7213]

​@@wildcatlhThis community wouldn't exist without him. There are certainly many others that get credit, but Jonas carried this on his back for years. RIP legend.

[@TheTorseHumtunja]

It fucking broke my heart when the news came out.

[@luiskmpos]

The idol from Albacete. RIP

[@sirdurtle9519]

I love that high level Tetris has like boss levels completely by accident

[@rain_mendoza2000]

It’s so freaking sick

[@Syfon000]

100%, its like watching dragon ball

[@WarrioJ]

Really compelling boss levels too. Like, want to beat this one? Change how you use a controller. This one? Have super eyes. This one? Computer science time!

[@CyanPlushCaptain]

@@WarrioJ”Memorize these arbitrary goofy ahh perimeters or else your game ends unceremoniously lmao”

[@PiTdeLyX]

Yes, there's this one level with only pretty much invisible, dark green pieces. You know, the one that requires 810 lines to clear it. This whole thing feels like a long planned and elaborate troll from the developer lol

[@FraggedSpartan]

1:13:15 I'm sure many others have said it already over the years, but the way Summoning Salt is able to use the *perfect* music to tell a story and convey emotions with the *perfect* amount of pacing and built-up is second to none, and this is yet another great example right here. Absolute *masterclass* of a video. Well fucking done, my friend.

[@Begeru]

It’s such a ridiculous chart though. You could do the same with Alex’s final score being 1000 lines more than Blue

[@insomnia20422]

truely one of my favourite scenes of the video

[@insomnia20422]

@@Begeru true but this was the first time this big of a jump had ever happened. Eric transitioned the game from just scoring a lot of points to sheer outlasting lines after lines... If you cant see how this is a massive jump in the chase for records I dont know what else to say.

[@MenloMarseilles]

Jon Bois pioneered this type of "pan over a gap in a chart to music" device in his sports reporting (see, for example, his video on Bob Beamon's world record longjump) and it's great to see it catch on among other KZbin documentarians.

[@DomyTheMad420]

33:10 "we don't believe you" "aight. gimme a minute" "yeah right like you could just produce a 1.2Mil result in one attem-" "Done." ".... what?"

[@2_Old]

That shot of slowly scrolling to the right from level 66 to 146 was SO dramatic and had the PERFECT effect of suspense and blowing my mind at the conclusion. Well done!

[@prettyshinyspaghetti8332]

The music choice was also perfect

[@squidy.tea-png8343]

Ngl, I was absolutely flabbergasted at that part. I actually said 'No fucking way' out loud

[@S0RGEx]

I can't help but wonder if it was inspired by the section on Bob Beamon's record-breaking long jump in Jon Bois' documentary The Bob Emergency, since Salt has said Jon was a big influence for him.

[@bokahinay22]

@@S0RGEx he did another one for the mariners 2001 season, showing how much the team improved. I got the same vibes

[@bolttes]

@@S0RGEx same thought. Cool to find other jon bois enjoyers.

[@julhol7482]

14:58 "However, since he used a camera from the 1800s-" Didn't have to grill Jonas like that!

[@genericscottishchannel1603]

obliteration

[@JWex-jy7sk]

True but let’s face it my man ain’t lying 😂

[@n1k0n_]

RIP the goat

[@ShepardOfficial]

This is the kind of video that those "ahh what you record this with, a potato? 😂" comments were originally made for lol that was fucking atrocious 😂

[@xDakem]

​@@n1k0n_ he was really a kind soul. I loved jumping on his stream sometimes and talk to him. His chat was very kind, and we weren't much.

[@nicolasturetta7959]

As soon as i heard "Jonas" i had goosebumps... Rip, you pushed this game to it's limit, so many people got into this game from hearing your legacy, now it's their time to held the torch

[@michaelwoodby5261]

"...at least, if you were able to roll like Cheese could" is certainly a thing that was said.

[@NoobsailerRBH]

You have to love the way the video progresses. Start of the video: "Can we get 1 million points on video?" End of the video: "Can we survive long enough to be reborn?"

[@rikybiky7508]

Just your average JRPG story

[@goodjavs5204]

Its like a classic RPG game. level 1: Kill Slime Final level: Kill God

[@bunkley923]

just think: 6 years ago, getting 1.3 million was nearly impossible and 1.4 million was completely unheard of now the world record is 16 million

[@justanolddrummernow]

this comment killlllled me.

[@probium2832]

2018 - a 16-year-old beats Jonas Neubauer 2021 - a 16-year-old teaches you rolling 2023 - a 13-year-old breaks the game 2024 - a 15-year-old smashes world records

[@fangsup726]

Tetris has no Story. It has no Plot, no Characters, no moments of crushing defeat or amazing victory of heroes overcoming impossible odds. That story, is one told entirely through the people who play it. And what an amazing story it is.

[@ianian4162]

I love that interpretation

[@michaelrees350]

There are 100% moments of crushing defeat and amazing victory, just not of heroes. There is absolutely a plot, but it's just the player and the game, no other characters.

[@quackelstheduck2040]

The blocks have names, so they can be considered characters.

[@cecilia5740]

if you watch ericicx video on the secret ending of tetris you may decide that there is an unintentional storyline to tetris from all the glitches that appear later on in the game

[@grahamwalker2168]

at rebirth actually a small mushroom pops up and says "The princess is in another castle"

[@futuramarox789]

RIP Jonas Neubauer. Loved watching the incredible fight of Jonas vs Joseph live, was one of the greatest feelings of my life, and an incredible display of sportsmanship between both players. Thanks for making this dude

[@brograb898]

I love this community because there’s always a “There was no way anyone thought that they could improve on that”-one hour left of the video.

[@brograb898]

Everyone is so supportive

[@aGameScout]

Thanks so much for covering NES Tetris! Perfect timing with this video, given how we're somehow in the middle of possibly the craziest year in the game's 35 year history.

[@Flip2live]

W comment

[@Cheestastical]

Thank you for introducing me to classic Tetris with your awesome videos

[@Eichro]

i'd wait for Tetris to reach 20XX. It's inevitable at this rate.

[@Arishtanxmi]

Everyone go watch game scout’s recent videos. Absolutely mind blowing sequence of events covered in super well made videos.

[@makotroid108]

I also thank you for introducing me to classic Tetris.

[@TanyaTulip]

I love the fact over 120 levels beyond the kill screen, Tetris goes "I didn't think I'd have to use this against you" then pulls out Dusk, then Charcoal 2 levels later, and then pulls a Sans Undertale on Level 235. Oddly poetic.

[@tsptcod]

When he said that 235 was different I was expecting like a 100 or a power of 2 like 256 or something like that. Nah just plus 800 and then it goes back to 10.

[@DefinitivNichtSascha]

The game really just goes "This isn't even my final form" and pulls out like another three boss phases between the dark colours, the crashes, and the sudden additional 800 lines. Glitches bending the reality of the game just as how final bosses often bend reality is pretty insane.

[@cubefreak123]

I thought of 235 more like a Spirit Bomb. Like the game raising its arms and shouting, “Everyone, give me your pixels!!”

[@maxdragonsoul5553]

@@DefinitivNichtSascha And on console the crashes get unbelievably brutal towards the end of the game. Level 255 will automatically kill the player unless they push down on 5 out of the 7 pieces, and by the looks of it the game has lag issues at that stage too.

[@punchingplayerpenguin3291]

​ @maxdragonsoul5553 can confirm lag issues, did a TAS once of it, and I started to notice there was a longer delay between pieces after like 236. tbf it was a rom hack but still. And it's even worse than just 255, multiple levels in the final 6 crash if you don't push down the piece or flash the next box. btw not related to you directly but it is relevant to the thread, salt got one thing wrong in this video, and that's the 810 line level. It doesn't always happen on level 235, it can happen on different levels depending on your starting level, and if you start on level 19, the long level will be 235. It can be as early as level 219 if you start on levels 0-9

[@tommyguerrera]

And Blue Scuti just beat the record yesterday (5/23/2024) starting at level 29, going to level 239, with a final score of over 18 million!

[@gooblop]

For many speedruns, what determines the jumps in record times tends to be players finding a trick or glitch or exploit and then integrating that in their runs to play less of the intended game. For Tetris it's the opposite, the game has things trying to stop you both intentionally and as glitches, and the history of the speedrun is about people overcoming those barriers through sheer skill to play even more than was ever intended. That is what makes this story truly amazing, and I'm glad this video covers it so well.

[@catipto]

1:27:33 "Every game of NES Tetris ever played had ended with the player topping out." False - my younger sibling ended at least one of my games using the POWER button.

[@Wilker_uwu]

one can say you powered through the game

[@chimyshark]

nah nobody uses the power button in real life, they flip the console and it gets unplugged.

[@markymark443]

Surely Poofesure would have ended the game by breaking the console

[@jplayzow]

@@markymark443 He probably has 600 more laying around I didn't imagine how much money screaming at every game in existence could get you or how long you could do it without losing your voice until I saw him

[@DembaiVT]

😂

[@iridium_nl]

"Since he used a camera from the 1800's" in such a serious tone caught me WAY off guard. I'm absolutely laughing my ass off in my cubicle at work.

[@TopOceanus]

Caught me off guard too lmao

[@skungillian91]

i know dude i missed it my first watch

[@valfromtheblock]

he said it so nonchalantly that for a second i thought he was serious 😭

[@smoolz7818]

Also enjoyed that lol

[@WickerBasket9]

I absolutely bursted out laughing into my pillow when I heard this exact statement! Like, dude! 😭

[@soyalguien335yt4]

Crazy how in other speedrun videos, the revolutionizing thing that makes the strategy change forever is usually a glitch. Here there are no glitches to help the player, the turning point of professional tetris that made the strategy change were simply new grips for the controller, while glitches were the obstacles (and sometimes goals)

[@ohanaduboscq8474]

1:13:22 is one the segment that gave me the most chills I have ever felt in my decade as a KZbin watcher. Thank you Summoning Salt, what an incredible moment and videos

[@papagrizil1497]

i shed a tear at that segment

[@MenloMarseilles]

Jon Bois pioneered this type of "pan over a gap in a chart to music" device in his sports reporting (see, for example, his video on Bob Beamon's world record longjump); it's an incredibly effective technique for moments like this and it's great to see it catch on among other KZbin documentarians.

[@tylociraptor8131]

Jonas' reaction to losing to Joseph was so sweet. He was so happy for the literal kid at the time. Really seemed like he was a good dude! RIP

[@RealGateGuardian]

Jonas was a man among men. The World & Eternal Champ shall be missed.

[@SavouryLobster]

He was a pillar of the classic Tetris community. Always helped anyone and everyone to be better at the game, and at everything else. Seriously one of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of talking to.

[@azyanziyad1291]

Like Michael Schumacher said: Records are Ment to be broken

[@sybrwookie]

The way Jonas invited in the next generation, despite them overtaking him as the top players, was incredible. Apparently, there was a normal dinner many of the top players would go out to after the tournament, and he made sure to invite Joseph (and his mom) along as well because he was now part of that. It would have been SO easy for someone who had been at the top for so long to not react positively to these kids "invading" Tetris, but him being such an inviting person completely set the tone for the community perfectly. And so when a few years later, Dog and the next generation started taking over and Joseph was no longer the top guy, he was the same way to the new kids, and it kept on going like that.

[@dustinmyers144]

Great story telling. I turned in the video for background noise but couldn't look away.

[@fractal161]

It's videos like these that make me realize just how much history we have (especially considering how much stuff was cut :P). We've actually come so far as a community, and I don't think we've even reached the peak. Thanks for letting all of us relive the good times and prepare for the ones ahead.

[@JohnDaCuber]

Omg you are the guy from he summoning salt video

[@JayKang11]

You're the man

[@ScorpioIsland]

A Fractal!! Sick B you’re so right. The amazing things that SS wasn’t able to pack into two hours boggle the mind

[@jet468]

🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

[@SirChocula]

You're so kind hearted and cheered on Scuti even when it was your goal as well. Props for that sportsmanship, glad you got it as well! 😁

[@thanotosomega]

I love that Salt is such a class act, never making categories seem like they don't matter when he explains the one that the big focus, doesn't name cheaters so they won't get harassed over it, but will never hesitate to be savage about video quality.

[@shaneyboy619]

This might be the greatest KZbin video I've ever watched after around 15 years of using it. You've outdone yourself Salt, what a rollercoaster that was omfg!

[@alexgellerman6606]

Jonas used to work at a brewery next to my old work back around 2015. I knew him for about a year, and then one day i was reading an article about Mike Tyson's punchout and how they got the rights to his name for only 20k or something like that, and there was randomly a youtube thumbnail that looked a lot like the guy at the brewery next door. Sure enough it was Jonas and one of the Tetris World Championships video. I brought up that I saw that video later that day when having a beer after work. Jonas was probable one of the nicest and friendliest people I have ever known. RIP brother you will be missed.

[@Calebblue101]

This needs more upvotes ty for informing us of this legend

[@PKmuffdiver]

That's awesome.

[@TheWilliamSnfrd]

Boom Tetris for Jonas!!! I hope his family is able to see some of these comments as well and take solace in the incredible impact he had for the game and community and how many people's lives were positively impacted by him.

[@curtisholsinger6023]

The idea that we have gone from "Scoring during the Kill Screen" to "CRASH dodging" is absolutely insane

[@ItsCidergirl]

For a fun old block game, in my opinion this has the best speed running history by far

[@loyusum8459]

01:16 Sponsor 02:32 Introduction 06:21 Chapter 1: The Maxout 11:40 Chapter 2: Beyond The Maxout 16:30 Chapter 3: ENEOOGEZ 25:49 Chapter 4: Hypertapping 31:46 Chapter 5: The Next Generation 49:05 Chapter 6: Rolling 1:00:28 Chapter 7: Vaulting & Scaling 1:15:27 Chapter 8: Colors 1:25:05 Chapter 9: Crashes 1:40:46 Chapter 10: Beyond The Crash

[@flleaf]

Thanks

[@blanchardgreenez]

thank you!

[@Ben729Gaming]

Chapter 7 is 1:00:28

[@chrisbidwell895]

Something to keep in mind as these records continue to climb past the stratosphere: getting a maxout (1 million points) on NES Tetris is one of the most difficult and prestigious accomplishments one can achieve on the entire NES/Famicom platform. The game sold over 8 million copies worldwide, yet fewer than 500 people have recorded a maxout in the 35 year history of this top 10 all time nes game. Those 500 players represent the top .0005%. The 20 or so players featured in this documentary represent the top .000025%

[@AlmostNamedOne]

thanks for crushing my dreams

[@TakeMinamoto]

thanks for the inspiration... I've been meaning to clean the dust of the old NES and buy a Tetris cartridge at a local store that sells old games and consoles (also meaning to download Tetris Gym eventually)... the 500 or so that have reached the maxout are only the 0.0005% because few others even try... so I'm gonna try

[@chrisbidwell895]

Awesome! I'm back on the grind too.

[@nniftyyx]

i could do it

[@santhieamadeus]

I tried NES tetris for the first time after this video - played for about an hour and only made it to level 4. I've been humbled but had way more fun than I expected, so I'll practice for awhile and see where it takes me

[@AbruptAvalanche]

It's so crazy to me that the tech that blew the doors off the game wasn't some in-game technique or glitch discovery, but just a new way to push buttons. It's something that theoretically could have been discovered before the game even came out and yet it took over three decades to be implemented.

[@cat5kable]

“If I can’t hit the button fast enough… I’ll make the button hit me faster”. Absolutely insane tech that changed Everything for Tetris.

[@the_fat_ghost]

It is probably the most significant change in input method since Thresh popularized WASD + mouse configuration.

[@sehtuk3953]

On the same controller everyone was using already (so no arguments about validity like how some tech in SMB is almost keyboard only) that was faster to use, easier to perform and was even less physically taxing on the hands One in a million discovery, other games only dream of having this type of tech It's crazy that it even changed the fundamental way the game was played from how much you could optimize your score before the kill screen with a very real cap to turning it into a pure survival game with an obscenely high ceiling Like, we probably would've stopped in the 1.5 million range if rolling was never discovered

[@relampagomarquinhos4263]

@@sehtuk3953 This tech is so good that is actually being used in other games speedruns. One that use it a bit is Mega Man X Series speedruns, where it is used to rapid-fire/slash dash cancel.

[@HazhMcMoor]

If someone time travel to when NES is first released, one can enter a game conference, earn >10 million points, and just blow the gaming world.

[@Regis_Philbin]

I didn't really care about Tetris and never watched this, but after watching your tier list where you say this is your best video I came back to check it out. You were right.

[@botigamer9011]

Alex Thatch 2024 World Champion

[@badmojo4611]

That scrolling to the right for farthest level in a tournament at 1:13:30 was so brilliant and impactful. You did a great job highlighting just how big a jump that was.

[@Kytrex_]

Exactly

[@TheTonylegrone]

Things like this is why Summoning Salt is the GOAT

[@20minutes14]

reminded me of a jon bois vid

[@blindgod8122]

It's a beautiful piece of work

[@HolyShinta]

@@20minutes14 Yes! In part 2 of "The Bob Emergency". A nice nod to Jon and a great way of visualizing when someone just goes so far beyond what was considered a limit.

[@silverflight01]

Rest in Peace Jonas. He will always be the greatest Tetris legend to ever live, even if he wasn't there to see BlueScuti achieve the seemingly impossible True Killscreen.

[@Soniti1324]

Killed by Pfizer.

[@xyzzyx7812]

this was news to me. kinda bummed this video didn't feature some kind of memorial for him

[@kronosomni2805]

Shame he passed on before the Rolling was even used widely, he probably could have adapted and we might have even seen a redemption story play out with him winning another World Championship, or maybe even multiple again.

[@sybrwookie]

@@kronosomni2805 Yea, there was a video he did before passing where he was showing a drummer how to play Tetris and the drummer was showing him how to drum, and when he explained the concepts of Tetris to the drummer, the first thing the drummer did was play around with how to hit the buttons with multiple fingers to move faster. I feel like that was on the path to rolling right there, and with how amazing Jonas was at stacking, I really would have loved to see Jonas rolling.

[@kronosomni2805]

@@sybrwookie Drummers at higher skill levels are essentially playing Tetris in a way. When you think about it, the notes are like the pieces, the sticks are the D-Pad, and the Drum is the Controller.

[@ChaosKoopasPlays]

The “this is how far Eric made it” section reminded me a lot of a Dorktown video where they use a similar effect to show how insane the gap is; you did it so effectively. This might be the best video you’ve made yet, wonderful work!!

[@karelpgbr]

I love how 235 has a drab army green colour, truly just instills this feeling of sheer dread, you know it is 80x longer than the rest, you know you have to make it, all you can do is look at the colours and call up the dogged determination the military is so well known for. _To just keep going..._

[@WriteWordsMakeMagic]

It's so crazy how this code that was never meant to go past level 29 created all these challenges like glitched colors, dusk, charcoal, the 810 line level, all just from the randomness of the bugged code.

[@marklund117]

I wonder what more modern titles we could find similar types of hidden difficulty/jank in if we explored deep enough

[@Myhaay]

@@marklund117 not a lot at all, this only works with tetris because of the type of game it is, a simple ass puzzle game, slot the thing correctly enough times and level up, i can't even begin to think of a game that simple nowadays, even if there is, the coding is way too tight and advanced to allow such things unintentionally. there are hardware limitations at play here not just the game, literally the console couldn't handle what was happening. so you will absolutely never see this in modern gaming. jank for sure, every any% speedrun uses glitches and jank, but what happened with tetris is impossible in today's titles.

[@ogureckgreen]

It inspires me to write my code as shitty as possible ❤

[@DrMonty-ng5fo]

@@Myhaay It has nothing to do with being a puzzle game, and everything to do with being on the NES.

[@Myhaay]

@@DrMonty-ng5fo it does, because aesthetic glitches and the way it breaks does not absolutely destroy the game. and the way it works, same scren, same purpose. you can't break super mario to have more levels can you? or contra? can you play contra for 200 levels? no, because the game has a definite start and end.

[@UntiedHawaii]

Completely in awe of the Eric tournament story against Huff…then realized there was 48 more minutes of video. HOW?!

[@EricICX]

to be honest, i was in awe at the time too

[@Alex-we9hl]

@@EricICX yoo hi ericicx

[@honeysunday]

@@EricICXomg hi! dude you are so incredible, amazing job!!!!!

[@lostsanityreturned]

I recommend looking up alex t as well because this video didn't even mention how he went on to prove himself after hitting the green slog (immediately after) absolutely insane

[@probium2832]

the video is as long as a full-fledged movie maybe after teaching your kids tetris and they play very, very well you should grab them some popcorn only for it to not be a popcorn flick and instead use it as a way to obliterate their minds for me this is equally difficult to comprehend as progression into graham's number

[@abachniv]

Only 35 min in and I'm confident in saying this is the best documentary you've ever made. Congrats, dude!

[@MadmanRapsGaming]

THIS SHOULD BE ON NETFLIX! Absolutely amazing piece of art you’ve made. The amount of passion and dedication it took to make this is beyond incredible. Thank you for showing me the world of Tetris and the history in 2 hours. I recently got into watching Tetris in the past month and this made me gain so much respect for the community and the players. Amazing content, just WOW

[@bobbobert9379]

I like how after every milestone in tetris its like "you cant keep playing after this.... but what if you did?" *VSauce music*

[@aspuzling]

Lmao

[@zavdan7682]

Take my dam like

[@Oscar97o]

The next milestone is going to be very boring though, since it just resets the game to level 1.

[@felearce4718]

Nah bro, next milestone would be the second rebirth

[@KusaneHexaku]

@@felearce4718 tetris bout to have incremental game prestiging system

[@josephchacra2840]

I'm so happy Fractal got so much screentime in this video! That man is an amazing role model for the tetris community. He's put in so much work, and continues supporting other players' efforts

[@WhatTheHellRecords]

Fractal continuing what Jonas started. Wonderful community.

[@torygrima]

I would love nothing more than for you to do an in-depth history of Rubik's Cube World Records

[@mahino420]

i love how in every world record video u cover a player at the start who gets a good early achievement but nothing impressive, then he comes back later to the story and sweeps everyone else, then a new young player comes and end their lead

[@CVizzle]

The scaling of NES Tetris makes this one of if not THE most ridiculous journeys in speedrunning. While most games eventually turn into dogfights for milliseconds, each WR in Tetris redefines its limits. It's not unreasonable to imagine that once someone achieves the first Rebirth, theoretical endless games are in play. Absolutely insane. Thanks for the incredible video SummoningSalt!

[@ryancampbell6613]

I wonder if once people achieve the first Rebirth on Tetris gym, if people will then try to achieve the first Rebirth on NES Tetris using crash dodging?

[@khmer5o3]

I think they'll make two new categories. Amount of lines cleared after you hit rebirth or your score when you reach rebirth. :D It'll be fun to see the top guys going for a tetris in level 240+ to get a higher score. BIG RISK / REWARD.

[@MojoMonkey]

@@ryancampbell6613 I think getting rebirth on an OG cart is still a pipe dream for the moment, but one thing that I've learned over these past few years is that nothing is impossible in this game.

[@Vivi_9]

It's amazing how the game just creates new obstacles the further you get into a run without it being part of the programming, I love it

[@Mikustan39]

@@MojoMonkeyMaybe, but I fully believe it will happen one day. Maybe sooner than we think.

[@jitlua]

14:57 "However, since he used a camera from the 1800's, this was never verified as an official WR" LOL

[@tripodtodd9217]

Dying lol I have home videos from the early 90s that look better than that haha

[@cheeddacat]

It's so cool to think about the fact that Tetris having a weak code allows it to create it's own mechanics, having a dark color palette level to limit the player's ability to calculate their next move, messing up their runs, having a certain point in the game where the players have to pay attention to their next numbers of lines broken at the same time to prevent from crashing (at this point it's just an instant kill), and having a level that require the player to break hundreds of lines with a single dark color in order to progress before the rebirth (acting like a whole boss fight)

[@JayFlamby]

I realize it's been 7 years (!) since i watch your videos and this might be your best one. The precision of your writing and the perfect balance you reached in your tone are amazing. 2 whole hours of video and not a single moment was boring. Incredible story and amazing way to tell it and put it in video. Thx and gg

[@SamChaneyProductions]

Level 235 is so ominous. It's 81 times as long as all of the other levels. It's basically like starting an entirely new game of Tetris inside the one you're already playing. So fitting that it's bathed in drab army green because it's like fighting an entire war. It's like a battalion of soldiers surrounding you on all sides, and as the sun plunges below the horizon and their olive fatigues darken and sink into the black sky, the descend upon you. This is the new Tetris battleground

[@LMMotoss]

War…war never changes. But warfare does.

[@Ybrethar]

A seemingly neverending darkness that breaks the existing rules of the games reality. Reminds me of house of leaves and the doom mod, myhouse

[@danielcanovas5789]

Just a Tetris curious, not a good player. Really cool, I liked what you wrote.

[@joshualoucks7242]

@@LMMotoss corny

[@memesifoundonline]

I didn’t know we got shakespeare in these comments

[@noahfine4820]

It's worth noting how incredibly supportive fractal was when scuti got the first crash. Around ~1:40:00 you describe how fractal wouldn't get the same media attention, and I'm sure that did sting and is worth mentioning, but fractal being super supportive of scuti's achievement, and not rooting against him, in spite of that is what makes him so special.

[@solanumtuberosa]

Tbh thats the entire tetris community. Watch any finals and you would see the first place and runner up hugging each other in joy when the game ends.

[@robwhitaker8534]

The quality of this video honestly blows my mind. The way you go into such detail about the earlier struggles with the kill screen build and essential sense of admiration for both the research to improve techniques and the skill level required to perform at that level is astounding. I’ve watched all of your videos - old, new, and most of your SumminingAlt ones too! Love them all. It’s awesome to have watched you become such a talented creator. Long may it continue!

[@jackringel485]

I know the game has progressed an absolutely absurd amount since then, but I remember watching Joseph Salee beat Jonas with hypertapping back when it first happened and knowing the game was changed forever. What an incredible video

[@Sam-jl7vz]

15:57 “well, it’s 12 years later and apparently Mat still hasn’t returned home” IS CRAZYYY you’re coming for ever today with such a nonchalant voice as well LOL I love it

[@mabu100]

almost back

[@llkurofoxll1013]

@@mabu100 how's the traffic?

[@TheGeekagok]

@@mabu100 Man's been on the road for 12 years but still has internet connection on the edge of the world, who's your provider ?

[@Sam-jl7vz]

@@mabu100 YOO good luck G I hope tou don’t run out of gas

[@HE13272326]

Traffic jams can be brutal

[@BromanderInChief]

Going for a TSpin during a world record attempt in the 130s is real psycho shit LMAO Fractal is sick af

[@sateddevourer5422]

He had to do it

[@nicolasturetta7959]

It was his only option to downstack

[@kefkapalazzo1]

Reminds me of some things in basketball. Lebron had a block in the 2016 finals that was so ridiculously athletic I can’t believe it and I saw it live

[@joshuapatrick682]

There’s something pure about a person’s genuine elation at obtaining a world record or world first. Remember to set goals for yourselves.

[@chief664]

There's something beautiful and poetic about level 138 Graphics glitching. Like you're unlocking a new difficulty mode and the game is trying to trip you up

[@EGarrett01]

I don't see how you can't call the charcoal level "midnight." It comes after dusk, is even darker, and to finish the game you have to get past midnight. Fits pretty perfectly.

[@tinyturtle1898]

@@EGarrett01 Did the coffee cow send you?

[@chenwinterjason8369]

Like somehow the game itself is being madly busted and having a deep JRPG vibe, the first stopping point where lv29 is too fast to even have a chance to complete, and then the rolling technique is invested deep, more of the dark challenges, even the level between 30~145 is a hurt in the ass ,with lv138 the color started to getting weird, it's like telling you that you have entered the region of forbidden. And then you get to the dusk lv146 and " the Lightless night" lv148, the " end of the world" lv155 and after, and here somehow we're in the "deep endless forest" lv235 aka you complete 1 level is in a 81 level with in a dark green, and where stand in the end of the road is "the rebirth" in lv256. Wow,that would be such a ride if someone really get there.

[@EGarrett01]

@@chenwinterjason8369 Yeah you really have to get to level 300. This is crazy. It's even more epic than all the glitches in the Super Mario Bros any percentage run.

[@Jreaddy]

@@EGarrett01because it’s a game, and it’s fun, and doing what would be obvious isn’t fun lmfao

[@Sharkbaby424]

Fractal is a real one with his true sportsmanship, cheering on Studi to take the glory he had been fighting for. Nothing but mad respect for him as a person and his accomplishments. Absolutely amazing video as always Summoning Salt. This might be your masterpiece and that's saying something.

[@TheNeraum]

Fractal is still the reigning champ and is absolutely wonderful, he was doing warmup games during Alex's run, and actually told people to go check him out he was live. Then he booted the stream up himself and was there for hearing Alex say Fractal's catchphrase xD And kept watching all the way to the end of the run, cheering him on

[@iplayminecraft2248]

I would never have been like him, I would have just completely given up

[@manuabasto6325]

I think his masterpiece is his MTPO video

[@sagesarrazine6270]

For real man. As much as he wanted to "beat" Tetris, more than that he wanted to see Tetris get "beat"

[@simonbutelerdellepiane5564]

I've never seen a sport where adversaries in top tournaments hug each other so enthusiastically after playing. It's nice.

[@BarbeqdBrwniez]

Easily one of the greatest videos youve ever made Salt. I hope you know how much these videos contribute not only to growing the gaming community, but to growing the history of this phenomenal hobby.

[@ChristianHegele]

Jonas was so dominant he remained competitive for a while after his method of playing was officially obselete. Absolute legend.

[@speerunscompared]

Well he never won again after the first decent hypertapper came along

[@storm_2468]

RIP

[@penguindrummer252]

​@@speerunscompared Do you know what "competitive" means? Or "decent" while we're at it? Edit: This is also factually incorrect, the first decent or better (read: amazing) hypertapper was Korya. Did we even watch the video

[@brianclark7742]

@@speerunscomparedhe also died on 1/5/21 so didn’t exactly get a chance to do otherwise. With his understanding of the game and with rolling on the way, there is little doubt he would have been able to do it.

[@tombiby5892]

I’d like to see a cutscene of Jonas trying to hyper tap. Like Shooter McGavin trying to drive like Happy Gilmore when nobody was looking.

[@Velomarke]

I absolutely love how for Tetris “broke” not because someone found a new glitch or exploit, but rather a literal new innovative way to play without any loopholes or errors. And it is freaking amazing.

[@cheesypoofs2387]

I really don't feel like I care enough about this stuff to enjoy the detail and information you out into these. Yet, I'm always riveted and hanging on to every story and ever element thereof. Excellent production value of these videos man. Thank you for making them.

[@yuvalne]

this is definitely your best video, man. such great storytelling, such great twists, such great editing. gives me chills even on rewatches.

[@TheVoiceOfChaos]

Pixel andy being oblivious to dusk, the level that took out the previous wr run. And beating it. For summoning salt trademark heavenly victory music to play in the bright and colourful pink level he was in. Only to go into night , music cuts, and pixel andy instantly dies. Absolute cinema.

[@TheVoiceOfChaos]

Thats on some dark souls shit on god

[@kosylrf5247]

@@TheVoiceOfChaos yes

[@glenrobinson10]

The big reason why you know Alex deserves the record is his reaction to the 800+ level. That big smile when facing the biggest challenge is crazy.

[@jonathant2809]

Incredible video. This is on the same quality level as your MTPO video and is one of your best. YT keeps readding both to my video queue and despite already watching them both, it's very easy to rewatch both of them. Appreciate you. Take care, SS.

[@gunnarthomas3824]

Another outstanding documentary. Big ups and respect Summoning Salt! Watching many of these matches mentioned live were amazing. Honored to have witnessed Tetris history "Live". I will never forget Joseph vs. Jonas in the CTWC 2018.

[@gigabyte2248]

Tetris is a fascinating study of sports psychology and flow (being 'in the zone'). Once a player's spent enough time rolling, the physical execution becomes pretty much trivial and the only barrier is psychological. Tetris becomes a 100% psychological game. A top-tier player getting into super-strong flow can, as demonstrated, completely demolish records. As long as they stay in flow, there's nothing to stop them. But staying in that kind of flow for an hour? A state of consciousness where a lapse for a split second can end it all? Absolutely insane.

[@DarkAuraLord]

These mfs out here black flashing in Tetris 😭😭

[@snoozbuster]

Flow state on a game like Tetris feels absolutely incredible too. I’ve never been a big Tetris player but in my experience with similar games it literally feels like you can see the future.

[@casbyness]

@@snoozbuster There's a reason human beings appreciate great art, establish meritocracies, climb Everest, and speedrun video games. Brilliance is its own dimension in the universe. One that most of us barely scratch the surface of, but all of us enjoy seeing the best of us attempt exploring. It's what generates things like fame and fortune, though the vast majority of us prefer to circumvent the prerequisite hard work involved, out of fear and laziness, so we can skip to the crude material rewards directly. In a mostly lifeless and hostile universe, pursuit of brillance and brilliant achievement, regardless of reward and recognition, is all that truly matters. Movies like Pi and Whiplash have laid out this simple truth rather aptly, as do each one of Summoning Salt's excellent videos. Most people turn away from this sort of thing due to the sheer level of difficulty, dismissing these pursuits - especially the ones that don't garner wealth - as a meaningless waste of time. Instead, we cut ourselves a break, relax, and focus on the human condition of resource gathering and reproducing. But deep down we all know that those activities are just a circular holding pattern that is maintained for the purpose of facilitating the pursuit of brilliance in all aspects of life, no matter how large or small. As history rolls on, the things we revere in museums are the artifacts of brilliance. It is, ultimately, the only part of us worth preserving. I would take scuti's game crash achievement over a billion dollars, any day of the week. Except of course, I actually wouldn't want to take it, since the entire point of an achievement like that is to earn it, not have it gifted to you. That's precisely what makes it worth more than the $billion$, a fact that most people fail to understand in their pursuit of destination above journey. Over past millenia, when philosophers discussed the overriding importance of truth and beauty, plus how the lesser of us despise those concepts and their expression out of envy and spite, this video is exactly what they were talking about. No amount of money, fame, or power in the world will ever enable someone to achieve what scuti did.

[@donkylefernandez4680]

One passing thought can kill your entire run so one of the tactics is to literally clear your mind and stay "quiet" while in the zone so your brain doesn't accidentally have a thought. You're silencing your subconscious so you can use it instead of your body.

[@user-up3dd1vw6b]

​@@casbynessna man ill take 1 billion instead at least I'll be able to get laid with it or sth

[@vt_973]

blue scuti being 13 is genuinely incomprehensible to me, in the most impressive way possible. can you imagine having that level of determination and skill, that level of discipline, so young? he earned that win, i hope he finds more and more ways to express his talents

[@rieldebonk1044]

Age doesn't matter in video games.

[@farewell418]

@@rieldebonk1044experience mattters, the kid probably barely learned the basics of Tetris at the age of 7, and to dedicate years of your life to accomplishing one of the hardest things in video game history in such a short period of time to learn tech, tactics, and strategies to do what nobody else has ever done is incomprehensible. Some people have dedicated decades of their life to try and be where bluescuti is today

[@rieldebonk1044]

@@farewell418 True

[@TruBluLew23]

On a game so antiquated and before his time, no less. An amazing feat and he absolutely should be proud of himself.

[@kicking222]

It's incredible. Forget about most kids not having that level of determination, patience, and focus- most people of any age will never approach that dedication in any pursuit.

[@DawnBurn]

First off, insanity that this video exists. Thank you for pulling this together as an enthusiast and a master of narration and story driving for a race. Great use of introducing characters slowly and giving us hooks to hold on to.

[@murdermelia7465]

Bro, this was such an exceptional and thorough video. Without question, your greatest one, yet. We should’ve had to pay to see this in theaters, but instead, we were blessed with another free History of World Records vid Thank you and well done

[@orvilleredenpiller338]

"It was Joseph Saelee" YOU COULDN'T HAVE SHOCKED ME MORE THAN IF YOU TOLD ME IT WAS MATT TURK. The fucking legend Joseph Saelee

[@stuffbenlikes]

I always want it to be Matt Turk.

[@gabbiehoffmeister3962]

It's always Matt Turk in our hearts.

[@farewell418]

Matt Turk will always go down as the greatest Tetris player of all time, he was just so good that he was banned from the leaderboards to let other players have a chance.

[@Upgraydez]

I heard Matt Turk could do it blindfolded. With one hand.

[@creepz9886]

bro I'm saying

[@ScorpionNani]

If there's one thing i love about speedrunners is that they'll support you on your win no matter what. That is such a noble attitude.

[@DarkkestNite]

I think part of it is an attitude of "players vs game" (...or "players vs human limits" lol) over "player vs player"

[@durdleduc8520]

@@DarkkestNite this 100%, the "players vs human limits" attitude of highly optimized games is something whole and of itself to behold. i'm sure it's not unique to speedrunning, but it is an amazing example of human culture as a whole.

[@squibble08]

well, unless you cheat :)

[@tyfinney7651]

SummoningSalt, you’re truly one of the best KZbinrs. Every single video of yours has my complete attention for the entire duration. Your way of telling these stories is so fascinating. I’ve been watching since the Mario Kart days, and I look forward to every upload. Thank you for doing what you do ♥️

[@steeevealbright]

I don’t give a sht about Tetris. This is one of the best KZbin videos I’ve ever watched.

[@JosaxJaz]

the shot of Jonas congratulating Joseph and giving him a hug after he won the champ is so wholesome dude holy. Impossible to know Jonas' thoughts at the time but something about his reaction feels very genuine and emotional.

[@demonyckscreations9990]

He was a wonderful man, I really miss the guy.

[@probium2832]

there was so much that jonas missed. i can imagine his reaction to each and every record that came at least in the coming months.

[@EliWernigg]

Guy has mad story-telling skills. I can't believe in 45 minutes he made me this desperate to see a run of a game I previously barely knew the rules to. Chefs kiss

[@pc-9826]

He overusing the term "however"

[@justsomeguyontheinternet5898]

@@pc-9826I honestly didn’t even notice.

[@logansenior4877]

@@pc-9826it’s a two hour vid he’s bound to repeat some words, don’t think anyone is too fussed.

[@Tidwillshare]

Summoning Salt has one of the highest storytelling stats in KZbin

[@probium2832]

@@pc-9826 make a video dedicated only to his usage of the word "however"

[@alexbertram7686]

This might be the best summoning salt video ever made. This shit had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. This is like a whole ass movie this was beautiful. I can't even begin to fathom the amount of research put into this video. SummoningSalt is a true GOAT of youtube and one of my favorite content creators to ever live

[@amputechure]

Just when my jaw can't drop any lower, this video does it again! This has to be your most accomplished video. Absolutely stellar work.

[@trapzone707]

1:10:24 im putting “featured in summoning salt b-roll” on my resumé seriously though it’s so awesome seeing you cover this game! there have been whispers about this possibly happening around the community for years now and I never expected it to become a genuine reality. As someone who knew all of the information already, it’s insane how your storytelling and editing still manage to evoke such intense emotion and intensity.

[@MannifyYT2023]

W.

[@lerat5978]

I first saw the blindfold punch out video. Set me onto the speed running community and video game deep lore. I love these groups

[@TheRandomAustralian]

From a luddite who knows nothing about Tetris this video still made me feel feelings like almost nothing Hollywood has done in years.

[@justineberlein5916]

Yeah, I know the feeling. I had a Reddit post make it into a Rules Lawyer video

[@Arrayonex]

I did not know keyboard is also allowed.

[@NE0_Messi]

I actually knew Fractal from university for a year before I graduated. We weren't super close, but I knew he wouldn't get jealous when Blue Scuti beat him to it. He was such a positive and optimistic dude, and his friends found him really supportive whenever they needed it most. Beautiful story.

[@UnableToucan]

I expected the video to end at cheese's 2.3m. Good score, a nice roundup to the video, happened somewhat recently only to be completely chocked that I was only rougly 50% through the video. A gift that keeps on giving

[@aliasmcgames]

Glad to see a video on scoreplay! Hopefully in the future we can see more of this, since it's usually not as well covered as speedrunning but there's so many great stories in scoreplay too.